Should Have Been Bigger: Demi Lovato’s “Made In The USA”

In this franchise, we look back on songs that deserved a little more love and attention.

After cracking the top 10 with “Heart Attack,”Demi Lovato seemed destined for another smash with “Made In The USA.”
The second single from the pop star’s self-titled 4th LP is a country-tinged ode to life and love in America — complete with a soaring chorus and exemplary vocal. Which makes its chart peak of number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 all the more perplexing. The song was unfairly compared to Miley Cyrus’ seminal hit “Party in the USA,” but that’s simply off base.

Demi has never been afraid to take risks in her music, and that is never more evident than it is here – going from the electro-pop balladry of “Heart Attack” to a track that celebrates Americana in all its cowboy boot-clad glory. The music video also gives the “Sorry Not Sorry” diva her moment in the sun, as she performs at a state fair in her country chick best, entwined with emotional images of a couple’s love story that has an unusually gritty subplot about leaving to serve in the military.

The hitmaker’s music videos are often elaborate, colorful, and flashy – but this one is pared down and realistic. Few songs on Demi showcased the singer’s vocals quite as well as “Made In The USA” or packed as hefty an emotional punch. The Jonas Jeberg-produced track holds up remarkably well. It’s the perfect road-trip song, made for those long top-down drives, with your “hair blowing in the wind, losing track of time.” Revisit the underrated gem below.

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